The holiday season starts at the Helsinki City Museum and the Burgher’s House Museum on Saturday 27 November. The Christmas Mystery mobile game invites families with children and those young at heart on an adventure into the history of Christmas in Helsinki around the Market Square. The Burgher’s House Museum will take you to a peaceful 19th century Christmas.
The City Museum’s holiday season opening event will be held on Saturday 27 November 13:00–16:00. Children’s Christmas invites families to enjoy gingerbread cookies, take part in some Christmas chores and meet Santa. This year, too, the museum has been decked out with festive decorations: The windows feature Helsinki-themed Christmas stars by Willem Heeffer, and the children from the Estonian-speaking Annila Daycare Centre have decorated the museum’s Christmas tree. Grandma's home and the school in Children's Town also have a touch of Christmas cheer. Additionally, you can find great Christmas gift ideas, from games and books to socks in the museum’s shop. The selection features items such as the brand new book about the Burgher’s House and nostalgic Christmas decorations. The City Museum’s holiday market will be held on Saturday and Sunday 4–5 December 11:00–17:00, and the Siller choir will perform on 12 December at 15:00.
Christmas Mystery for the Whole Family
Christmas Mystery is a free mobile game for children from the Helsinki City Museum and Helsinki Christmas Market, which is played around the Market Square. The game starts at the Market Hall and ends at the Helsinki City Museum. The game is available 27 November–22 December at joulumysteeri.fi(Link leads to external service). The game is a fun way of getting to know the history of Christmas in Helsinki, and the players who manage to solve the mystery can expect a delicious prize during the museum’s opening hours, Mon–Fri 11:00–19:00, Sat–Sun 11:00–17:00.
Christmas Cheer of Eras Past in the Oldest Wooden House in Helsinki
The Burgher’s House has been a popular attraction around the Christmas season for decades. The house will be decorated in a style typical of the mid-19th century, which is simpler than today’s decor but creates a warm, inviting feeling. Visitors can enjoy the delicious scents of Christmas by the warmth of the kitchen stove, picturing hard-working pairs of hands baking gingerbread cookies. In the sleeping chamber, presents are being wrapped in small packages, closed with a seal and featuring a fun riddle. The small Christmas tree in the sitting room, decorated with candles and cookies, stands on the table, as is typical of the era.
A Christmas event will be held at Burgher’s House on Sunday 12 December at 12:00. Visitors can soak up the atmosphere in the museum house’s various rooms and talk about the house’s history and old Christmas traditions with the knowledgeable guides. The outbuilding's chamber will feature a workshop for making Christmas tree decorations based on authentic 19th century instructions. Chamber choir Värinä will be performing Christmas-time tunes in the garden at 13:00 and 14:00. The museum shop will be full of warm feeling and delightful gift ideas.
Read more:
https://www.helsinginkaupunginmuseo.fi/en/events/(Link leads to external service)
Image: The Helsinki City Museum holiday season 2021 is illustrated by Sanni Wessman / Napa Agency.